The Greenshaw Learning Trust is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, with the sole purpose of maintaining and developing academy schools to provide comprehensive and inclusive education for the public benefit.

The Trust delegates the oversight and management of The Brakenhale School to its Local Governing Body and senior leadership team.

The school governing body is a committee of the Board of Trustees and is also known as a ‘local governing body’.

The Local Governing Body is responsible for the strategic leadership of the school, for the school’s financial and academic performance, and for holding the headteacher to account. The Local Governing Body reports to and is accountable to the Board on Trustees.

Governors act collectively as the Local Governing Body and closely with the headteacher and senior leadership team. Governors exercise their powers in a primarily strategic leadership role; they should not get involved in the day-to-day running of the school. As well as attending Local Governing Body meetings, governors are expected to be a member of at least one committee and to engage in appropriate governor and school activities. Governors also serve on various panels that decide on specific matters such as grievance, complaints and staff appointments.

Governors are appointed in a number of different ways:

Trust governors are appointed by the Board of Trustees.

Community governors are appointed by the Local Governing Body.

Parent governors are elected by ballot of all parents and carers of current students.

Teaching staff governors are appointed following a ballot of teaching staff.

Non-teaching staff governors are appointed following a ballot of non-teaching staff.

And the headteacher is a governor ex-officio.

All governors except the headteacher serve for a term of office of four years, but can be reappointed.

The Brakenhale School Local Governing Body operates two committees that together cover the work of the school and the responsibilities of the governors: Students Committee and Resources Committee. The Local Governing Body generally meets four times a year and each committee once per term. (Members of committees are not governors unless they are also members of the Local Governing Body.)